The present invention relates in general to the field of telecommunications dispatching systems and in particular to the field of wireless and wireline communications providing mobile personnel access to legacy systems and other remote systems.
Telecommunications technicians perform a variety of functions for telecommunications companies. Among the critical functions they serve includes providing on-site installation and maintenance service support to customers. While on the customers"" premises and when preparing for a customer visit, mobile personnel such as technicians need access to a variety of data, and systems such as, facility assignments, network testing functions, maintenance processes and procedures and customer specific information. Typically, the remote systems provide access to systems such as dispatch, facilities, and billing systems.
Regularly, technicians receive job assignments, travel to the customers"" location, and complete the assignment. To effectively complete their job duties, technicians utilize computers to remotely access the required databases. Normally, the technicians remotely access the legacy systems to retrieve the necessary information. For the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC), the legacy systems include a collection of databases established by the Bell System and currently managed by BellCore provide critical information necessary for technicians to complete their job duties.
Currently, RBOC installation and maintenance technicians access the legacy systems necessary to perform job tasks through the Craft Access System (CAS) gateway.
CAS provides technicians with the capability to remotely access operations systems while at the customers"" premise performing work activities such as installation and maintenance of facilities. The primary operations functions accessible to a technician on the CAS network include receiving new work assignments, information on current work assignment, facility testing, and electronic mail.
CAS provides access to many of these functions though a variety of legacy systems. Legacy systems include Loop Facility Assignment Control System (LFACS), Loop Maintenance Operations System (LMOS), Computer System for Main Frame Operations (COSMOS), Mechanized Loop Testing (MLT), Secure Network Element Contract Server (SNECS), Mechanized Time Reporting (MTR), OutSide Plant Construction Management (OPSCM) and Work Activity Statistical Sampling Plan (WASSP). Each of these systems provides vital data to technicians.
LFACS, a part of the Facility Assignment and Control System (FACS) is primarily responsible for completing outside plant facility assignments. COSMOS provides methods to effective manage, control and utilize main central office distributing frame facilities and circuits. This is accomplished by automating the assignment of central office equipment, telephone numbers, and frame cross connections. A selected sample of outside plant technicians are selected each month to utilize WASSP to report how much time they spend doing different tasks on each job they complete. This data is verified and sent to the MTR system.
LMOS is further delineated into LMOS Host and LMOS Front End (FE). LMOS Host stores and maintains detailed line record information. It also creates and maintains historical data on closed trouble reports. LMOS FE provided mechanized methods of maintaining customer line records and mechanized capability for entering, processing and tracking trouble reports. MLT is an automated loop testing system available through LMOS FE. It is used to test loops equipped with one-party and commercial services such as Private Branch Exchange (PBX) and Central Office Centrex. SNEC is a security interface. OPSCM is designed to manage outside plant construction from end to end. It encompasses contracts, contractors, job management, complaints, billing and payments, and informational reporting. These systems provide the required data utilized by technicians to install and maintain services.
While CAS provides access to legacy systems, CAS has limitations. CAS is a Lucent Technologies proprietary system, which in some versions is expected to be unable to function beyond the year 2000. CAS requires technicians to use a dial-up connection to access the information systems they need to perform their job, requiring them to find dial tone. Currently, technicians access CAS utilizing Computer Access Terminals (CATs), also referred to as xe2x80x9cthe brickxe2x80x9d. CATs require technicians to use a dial-up connection to transmit data at 1.2 kbps. This process restricts the technicians mobility while using the system. The technician must either gain permission of a customer to tie up their phone line or leave the customer premise, drive to a location where the technician can plug in a computer terminal and log in. Technicians are placed in the position of either tying up a customers"" phone or driving to find dial tone. Both are inefficient methods of communicating with the network.
Moreover, after finding dial tone, logging into CAS takes appropriately three minutes. Additionally closing a service order with a CAT takes at least five minutes. Viewing a record on line with the CAT could take more than five minutes. In other words, CATs are slow. CATs are DOS based script orient computers with no memory, i.e. it is a dumb terminal. Only a single task is available at a time utilizing CAT.
Further, with CAS a technician can only download information on four facility pairs available to the customer. If all four pairs are not working, the technician cannot complete the customers"" order.
Moreover, access to LMOS through CAS is cumbersome. LMOS provides critical customer information and serves as a tracking mechanism for trouble reports and expectedly, technicians frequently access LMOS. Currently, at the server ends of the CAS system, each LMOS request is processed separately resulting in large amounts of traffic across the network requesting access to LMOS thereby burdening the network.
The present invention addresses the problems associated with CAS technician dispatch systems and provides additional capabilities and features not available utilizing CAS. The methods and systems of this invention provide for a Year 2000 compliant distributed client-server application for mobile personnel with reliable and secure access to remote systems, such as legacy systems. The preferred system associated with this invention for discussion purposes will be referred to in a non-limiting manner as TechNet.
Generally, the TechNet system includes portable personal computers in communication with a wireless or wireline communications network, protocol servers for receiving and forwarding messages to and from the portable personal computers, the protocol servers in communications with a TechNet server in communications with legacy systems and other remote systems.
In the preferred embodiment, the technicians are equipped with ruggedized notebook computers that provide two-way wireless and wireline communication. Data can be transmitted up to 33.6 kbps via wireline connections and up to 8 kbps wirelessly. Wireless service utilized by the technicians to connect to the TechNet servers is preferably through the BellSouth Wireless Data Network (BSWD) although other wireless networks may be used. Wireline service or dial-up service utilized by the technicians to connect to the TechNet servers is through the BellSouth Communications Network (BSCN) but again other wireline networks may be used.
Protocol servers, preferably manufactured by NetTech, provide protocol conversion and middleware service in the TechNet system.
The TechNet server provides for receiving user requests, authenticating user access, servicing user requests, generating legacy system transactions, providing an interface and emulation to legacy systems, receiving results from the legacy systems and sending results back to the users portable PC.
Legacy systems contemplated as part of this invention for RBOCs include but are not limited to, Loop Facility Assignment Control System (LFACS), Loop Maintenance Operations System (LMOS), Computer System for Main Frame Operations (COSMOS), Mechanized Loop Testing (MLT), Secure Network Element Contract Server (SNECS), Mechanized Time Reporting (MTR), and Work Activity Statistical Sampling Plan (WASSP).
Using a system which employs wireless technology will enable technicians to perform job tasks with a greater degree of mobility, and a time savings over the previous systems, beyond the end of the century. A ruggedized laptop personal computer provides a flexible platform which enables future improvements in information systems and allows the technician to provide better service to customers.
Objects of this invention include:
To provide users in the field providing customer service with access to remote systems, such as legacy systems.
To provide technicians with a system for receiving and closing out trouble tickets, work orders, testing, identification and repair of customer lines.
To provide a dispatch system that is Year 2000 compliant.
To provide a dispatch system that provides for immediate input and close-out of customer service requests.
To provide a dispatch system having wireless access to legacy and other remote systems.
To provide technicians with high speed access to legacy and other remote systems.
To provide technicians a windows based interface with remote access to legacy and other systems.
To provide a more efficient method for processing messages and inquiries into remote systems.
Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects, features and advantages of this invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.